CFL/BC Lions Thread

[Alflives]

2 minutes ago, johngould21 said:

I got to shake Doman's hand after the blowout loss to the Bombers. Very proud owner as we can see, and he's in for the long run.

Just so long as he doesn’t bungee jump from the stadium rafters. 

[almo89]

I was at the game last night. Crowd wasn't big, but it was so much fun. Tickets aren't that expensive. You can spend a few hours at the block party drinking 5 dollar tall can beers. Can't really beat that for a night of entertainment. I really hope they can get a big crowd in for the Saskatchewan game.

Edited August 7, 2022 by almo89

[Gurn]

48 minutes ago, -DLC- said:

 

My first guess was Nick Hebler, but I was wrong  

Well it had been 20 years, so I was due for an error.

[Gurn]

25 minutes ago, almo89 said:

I really hope they can get a big crowd in for the Saskatchewan game.

Rider green will be there to rep for their team, expect a full house

[Gurn]

Rourke currently on pace for 6,217 yards this season- would be good for 3rd best of all time, behind Flutie 6,619 and Kent Austin 6,225

His average of 3 tds per game (21 divide by 7) x 18 = 54 would be 6 more than Doug Flutie's 48 in 1994

 

So good to see a good team.

[Boudrias]

2 hours ago, almo89 said:

I was at the game last night. Crowd wasn't big, but it was so much fun. Tickets aren't that expensive. You can spend a few hours at the block party drinking 5 dollar tall can beers. Can't really beat that for a night of entertainment. I really hope they can get a big crowd in for the Saskatchewan game.

+ 16,000 isn't big enough. If I was in the Lower Mainland I would go. The draw has to be 2x that. I doubt the CFL survives with attendance as bad as it is around the league. 

[NewbieCanuckFan]

2 hours ago, almo89 said:

I was at the game last night. Crowd wasn't big, but it was so much fun. Tickets aren't that expensive. You can spend a few hours at the block party drinking 5 dollar tall can beers. Can't really beat that for a night of entertainment. I really hope they can get a big crowd in for the Saskatchewan game.

Think it costs five bucks for water at Rogers.

[Zhukini]

Ehh I don't know, I haven't watched a second on TV this year let alone gone to a game. I know they're good, twitters given me the highlights and the updates. 

 

It just doesn't resonate with a group of friends in their 20's I guess to spend a Friday or Saturday night that way. If it is, its for the cheap drinks before going out somewhere else that night.  Unfortunate, and maybe I'm wrong but numbers also don't lie. 

Edited August 8, 2022 by Zhukini

[Hogs & Podz]

2 hours ago, Zhukini said:

Ehh I don't know, I haven't watched a second on TV this year let alone gone to a game. I know they're good, twitters given me the highlights and the updates. 

 

It just doesn't resonate with a group of friends in their 20's I guess to spend a Friday or Saturday night that way. If it is, its for the cheap drinks before going out somewhere else that night.  Unfortunate, and maybe I'm wrong but numbers also don't lie. 

Well if you and your boys want cheap beer and an opportunity to check out the scene, and be entertained by a decent product... Maybe you'll spot some ladies out having fun doing the same as you guys.  Find out where the party's headed after the game... Might be a lot of fun.... Speaking from experience tis all.  

[-DLC-]

14 hours ago, Zhukini said:

Ehh I don't know, I haven't watched a second on TV this year let alone gone to a game. I know they're good, twitters given me the highlights and the updates. 

 

It just doesn't resonate with a group of friends in their 20's I guess to spend a Friday or Saturday night that way. If it is, its for the cheap drinks before going out somewhere else that night.  Unfortunate, and maybe I'm wrong but numbers also don't lie. 

That's your personal opinion but if you haven't watched a second of it then you likely don't know what you're missing, that's all. Sure, we've had a couple of blowout games (so awesome) but there are many CFL games that go right down to the wire and are super exciting.

 

Some very good football and if you're a sports fan (at all) then you'd likely get some enjoyment out of the games. Rourke, alone, is good reason to be excited about this team. And we have so many different weapons out there on the field...highly entertaining. Some people aren't that into sports and that's ok. But a sunny evening in Vancouver watching one of our teams play isn't anything to dismiss...we're lucky to have teams (Canucks, Giants, Whitecaps, Lions, Abby, etc.) TO follow. If it's not your cup of tea that's fine...just wonder why you'd even bother with this thread if you don't watch/care?

 

Many in their 20's do find it great entertainment and it'll catch on again. People who don't know....don't know. I mean, for some 20 year olds the club scene isn't their thing...it's just what you're into, that's all. If you're not into the Lions it's perfectly ok but you don't represent all young people. We used to think that about the track and now the younger crowd is catching on....it's a matter of giving it a chance/going and THEN deciding. Weighing in if you don't watch a second isn't really offering much in my view.

 

The numbers don't lie but COVID has had an impact as well. The Lions had a dismal season last year but that's in the past...a whole new deal this year.

[Alflives]

13 hours ago, Zhukini said:

Ehh I don't know, I haven't watched a second on TV this year let alone gone to a game. I know they're good, twitters given me the highlights and the updates. 

 

It just doesn't resonate with a group of friends in their 20's I guess to spend a Friday or Saturday night that way. If it is, its for the cheap drinks before going out somewhere else that night.  Unfortunate, and maybe I'm wrong but numbers also don't lie. 

Fact.  The CFL is a far more entertaining game to watch than the NFL.  That southern league is more hype than anything.  Mostly it’s fans (that don’t live in their cities or are long time fans) especially the younger ones are suckered by the hype and prefer the spectacle around the game instead of the play on the field.  Alf calls these people “untrue” fans.  

[Boudrias]

1 hour ago, Alflives said:

Fact.  The CFL is a far more entertaining game to watch than the NFL.  That southern league is more hype than anything.  Mostly it’s fans (that don’t live in their cities or are long time fans) especially the younger ones are suckered by the hype and prefer the spectacle around the game instead of the play on the field.  Alf calls these people “untrue” fans.  

I was a huge NFL fan years ago and still am to a more limited degree. The CFL with 3 downs kinda lends itself to the passing game whereas the NFL can offer a more balanced attack. Seattle with Wilson and Lynch compared to Lulay and Harris were all fun to watch. The height for me was Terry Bradshaw and Franco Harris on the offense and the Steel Curtain led by Mean Joe Greene and Jack Ham. They could win games on the ground and in the air. Wow, flashbacks. 

 

This years Lions are a great watch. Rourke is special and he has lots of quality receivers. The running game is OK but not special. When the defense knows that it is a throw on almost every down it becomes their advantage. Rourke is special because he gets the ball off so quickly. The team will go as far as he takes them. That said the defense is much better this year as well. If they continue to get better thru the season we might have a Grey Cup contender.  

[almo89]

NFL has the best talent in the world. Has amazing production values. If the CFL had the same production values, most casual fans couldn't tell the difference. The CFL has a branding issue more than anything else. Amar Doman is doing a great job in trying to get young people back in the stands. Hasn't shown up in the numbers yet, but I already notice it in the overall game day experience. The block party that offers 5 dollar tall cans is a great way to get a bit of a buzz before the game. Inside the stadium, I see tons of young kids and young people taking their dates to the game. Hope they can build on this. Can't wait for the Riders to come in town in a couple weeks. 

[Alflives]

1 hour ago, Boudrias said:

I was a huge NFL fan years ago and still am to a more limited degree. The CFL with 3 downs kinda lends itself to the passing game whereas the NFL can offer a more balanced attack. Seattle with Wilson and Lynch compared to Lulay and Harris were all fun to watch. The height for me was Terry Bradshaw and Franco Harris on the offense and the Steel Curtain led by Mean Joe Greene and Jack Ham. They could win games on the ground and in the air. Wow, flashbacks. 

 

This years Lions are a great watch. Rourke is special and he has lots of quality receivers. The running game is OK but not special. When the defense knows that it is a throw on almost every down it becomes their advantage. Rourke is special because he gets the ball off so quickly. The team will go as far as he takes them. That said the defense is much better this year as well. If they continue to get better thru the season we might have a Grey Cup contender.  

We have lost the smaller, exciting QB’s to the NFL over the last decade.  

[Gurn]

LIons sell out-

https://www.msn.com/en-ca/sports/cfl/no-pipe-dream-b-c-lions-run-on-nathan-rourke-jerseys-is-real/ar-AA10spqM?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=U531&cvid=b6f1378ddc23470895f5d6c2847cfa9f

 

"

The B.C. Lions sold out of Nathan Rourke replica jerseys recently.  

Lions co-general manager and director of football operations Neil McEvoy has been with the Canadian Football League club since 1995, when he started out in ticket sales. He can’t recall something quite like this ever happening with another player.  

There’s no word from anyone with the Lions about how many Rourke replicas they started out with and what they projected initially for sales, but it would seem to speak to the popularity of the 24-year-old, second-year quarterback and the buzz building around the Lions’ 6-1 start.

For those so inclined, the Lions’ store web page on Monday was promoting Rourke jerseys as “now available,” thanks to a “restock.”

“If you would have told me six months ago that we would have a point where we were sold out of Nathan Rourke jerseys I would have told you it was a pipe dream,” said McEvoy. “But here we are. It’s happened.

“You certainly see a lot of Rourke jerseys walking around the stadium on a game day.”

Rourke was born in Victoria and grew up in Oakville, Ont.  

In a league desperate for Canadian quarterback content, he was going to be noteworthy regardless of his numbers.

His stats, as it so happens, have been so good some nights that they prompt a double take to make certain you saw what you thought you saw the first time.

He completed 34 of 37 passes for 477 yards and five touchdowns in Saturday’s 46-14 romp over the Edmonton Elks.  

His 91.9 completion percentage on the evening established a CFL record for a quarterback with 30 or more attempts, bettering the 90.3 (28 of 31) put up by Ottawa’s Trevor Harris in 2016. Only two other quarterbacks have gotten to 90 per cent in game with 30 or more tosses — Jason Maas with a 27 of 30 for Edmonton in 2004 and Henry Burris with his own 27 of 30 for Hamilton in 2012.

NEXT GAME

Saturday

B.C. Lions vs. Calgary Stampeders

7 p.m., McMahon Stadium . TV:  TSN. Radio:  AM 730.

Rourke’s mark is the third best when you scale back to a minimum 20 attempts, behind Ricky Ray’s 95 per cent (19 of 20) with Toronto in 2013 and Ray’s 92 per cent (23 of 25) with Edmonton in 2008.

Ray set the CFL record for highest passer efficiency rating in a season in 2013 with his 126.4. He did that in 11 games, driven by 21 touchdown passes to just two interceptions.  

That bettered the league mark of 118.8 Dave Dickenson had put forth with B.C. in 2005, and Dickenson broke Ken Ploen’s 1962 standard of 118.2 when he was with Winnipeg.

Rourke is currently at 133.2. He also tops the loop with 2,418 yards passing and 21 touchdowns, putting him on pace to throw for over 6,200 yards and 54 touchdowns.  

Doug Flutie set the touchdown record when he connected on 48 in 1994 with Calgary. There have only been five 6,000-yard passing seasons in league history, led by the 6,619 that Flutie put together for the Lions in 1991.

McEvoy is quick to say that credit for the Lions’ success needs to be spread out. He said Rourke has benefited from an offensive line that’s giving him time, from a running back in James Butler who is making things happen when he gets the chance to a receiving corps with three guys who would be the No. 1 option on most other teams.

That’s all true. Also true is the fact that Rourke has rarely looked like a young guy learning the ropes.

McEvoy wonders if Rourke didn’t benefit from getting first-team practice repetitions at times last year because starter Michael Reilly had arm injury issues. Reilly retired in the off-season and Lions coach Rick Campbell — who shares GM duties with McEvoy — immediately named Rourke the starter.

“Michael knew he was leaving us in good hands. It made it easier for him to decide to retire,” McEvoy said.

Rourke has got so good so quickly that you’re starting to see suggestions the National Football League will come calling sooner rather than later. The money would be dramatically better south of the border, but McEvoy also believes that Rourke “is enjoying the chance he’s getting to play and get better … I don’t think he wants to be holding a clipboard somewhere right now.”

For what it is worth, Rourke has another season after this on his three-year rookie contract with the Lions.

Rourke and the team’s success hasn’t equated to increased sales at the ticket window as of yet, though. The Lions drew an announced crowd of 16,342 for the Elks game. McEvoy says that fans at B.C. Place Stadium seem more energized than the past couple of years. There’s that Rourke merchandise marker as well.

“Things are trending in a positive way,” McEvoy said.

The team has historically drawn better in the fall. We’ll see if there’s a spike then, particularly if the success in the standings continues

[Gurn]

Winnipeg loses their first game of the season, in OT.

They might need a new kicker; as the poor guy missed a last 10 second game winner and then the game tie'r in ot.

He may never recover.   

[Gurn]

https://www.msn.com/en-ca/sports/nfl/around-the-cfl-why-lions-qb-nathan-rourke-is-the-total-package/ar-AA10yZde?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=U531&cvid=34b6feaed39e4d77882d559546938829

The B.C. Lions have been raving about the work ethic of first-year starting quarterback Nathan Rourke all season.

But what exactly does Rourke do to earn that praise? 

Let his old college quarterbacks coach at Ohio University tell you. 

“That first summer he was on the depth chart as the No. 2 (in 2017), it’s the middle of summer Friday night, a friend of mine came into Athens, (Ohio) for the weekend and I said ‘hey, I’ll take you and show you around the facilities,’” Scott Isphording, now the offensive co-ordinator and QB coach for the Ohio Bobcats, said over the phone this week.  

As I’m done showing my buddy around, we’re leaving and Nathan has a bag of balls and is going onto the field without another player and is going to throw into one of the nets we kept on the field at 7:30, 8 o’clock on a Friday night. That’s just who he was and who he is. It wasn’t a show. There’s no way he knew I was there. In fact, I think he was disappointed I saw it.  

“He was a great young man to coach because I’ll tell you what, he held me to the fire. I had to know what I was doing because he definitely knew what he was doing.” 

The Cincinnati native had a front-row seat to watch the development of a guy who is easily the story of the year in the CFL. 

A rare Canadian quarterback to get a real shot at a No. 1 job, Rourke has exceeded all expectations. Born in Victoria and raised in Oakville, Ont., the 24-year-old cemented his status as the top candidate for the league’s Most Outstanding Player award last week when he completed 34 of 37 passes (for a CFL record 91.2-per-cent completion rate) for 477 yards and five touchdowns as the Lions improved to 6-1 with a 46-14 demolition of the Edmonton Elks. Rourke also rushed for a major, breaking Russ Jackson’s record for touchdowns in a game by a Canadian QB.

The last player to be named the CFL’s MOP and top Canadian in the same season — Calgary Stampeders running back Jon Cornish in 2013 — won the Canadian athlete of the year award that December.

“I’ve been able to see a good chunk (of his games this season). … There’s certain mannerisms that are Nathan Rourke and it’s great to see on TV,” Isphording said.  

“Him playing as well as he is, it’s been a lot of fun for the whole family. Nate was around my kids a ton and was great to them and they all love watching him. … I cannot take any credit for what he has done and what he’s continuing to do because he’s about as self-motivated as anybody I’ve been around.” 

That was clear from the moment Isphording first met Rourke. 

The Bobcats had received word there was a promising QB at Fort Scott Community College in Kansas, where Rourke played in 2016 — some guys named Aaron Rodgers and Josh Allen also started their post-secondary careers in relative obscurity at junior colleges. Like the Green Bay Packers star (Butte Community College in California before playing for NCAA California) and the man giving Buffalo Bills fans legitimate Super Bowl thoughts for the first time in decades (Reedley College in California before going to NCAA Wyoming), Rourke went off the beaten path to Fort Scott after finishing his high-school career with one year in Alabama. 

“I flew out to see him. Most of the time, pretty much all the time, when you go to meet a recruit, he shows up shakes your hand, maybe he’s glad to see you depending on the school, maybe not,” Isphording said. “Nate shows up with a notebook and a pen and is writing down everything I say. I went ‘you know, this is my kind of guy.’ 

“Fortunately, recruiting is amazing, he had one other offer. He came here for the spring, our quarterbacks were not live that spring, so we really didn’t really know what we had from the make-people-miss standpoint in the running game. The quarterback that started the year before and Nate split time the first two games and it became pretty obvious, pretty fast that Nathan was going to be the better of the two and Nathan never looked back.” 

With his arm and feet as weapons, Rourke guided Ohio to three NCAA Bowl wins in as many years before the Lions took him 15^th overall in the 2020 CFL Draft. 

Isphording said Rourke had injuries that limited his off-season program his first two years at Ohio – preventing him from working on his arm strength. But now that he’s fully healthy, the coach sees significant improvement. 

“He’s getting the ball in some of the tight windows that are obviously going to be tighter the higher levels you go,” said Isphording, who now coaches Rourke’s younger brother, Kurtis – also a quarterback at Ohio. 

On Saturday, Nathan Rourke will face one of his tougher professional tests to date when he goes into Calgary to face the 5-2 Stampeders.  

Isphording knows Rourke will be prepared for the challenge – and he’ll do so while not forgetting those around him. 

“He is very serious. He is very driven. But not to the point of being a jerk,” Isphording said. “Some very driven people are not the nicest people in the world. If anything, Nathan is as nice a person as you’d ever want to meet and that’s a tribute to his mom (Robyn) and dad (Larry) and what they’ve done.  

“He’s a very driven guy. It took to his senior year for us to be able to sit down and talk about stuff other than football. Definitely was the first to get a picture with the kids after the game. I have a son (Gunnar) and a daughter (Erika) and he’d give them both high fives after the game.  

“You’ve got the total package up there with him and sometimes, it’s a little too good to be true with guys and superstars and all that. Certainly not the case with Nathan. You see what you get. He’s a great young man and has worked his butt off to get where he goes. I don’t know how you don’t love a guy like that.” 

[Jack Fig]

I've watched a fair amount of the action so far this year ... the Lions are a very entertaining team. Lots of weapons on offense and Rourke has all the tools to be something special for a long time. A star QB in the CFL goes a long way. Defense is hit and miss so far, but the building of a winning environment is very encouraging. It's all about consistency with this group now. 

[Gurn]

https://www.msn.com/en-ca/sports/other/alouettes-end-blue-bombers-perfect-season-with-20-17-overtime-victory/ar-AA10zYf8?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=f18f87dd3edb4e75a809688cc2857b71

'

WINNIPEG — Trevor Harris didn’t look too surprised — or even thrilled — after the Montreal Alouettes pulled off a huge upset with a 20-17 overtime victory over the previously unbeaten Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Thursday.

“It’s just such a CFL game,” the veteran Montreal quarterback said. “There’s always going to be things that you don’t expect and there’s always going to be maybe an upset that people think wasn’t going to happen. We’re just thankful to come out with a win.

Obviously I know that they’re probably kicking themselves, feeling they should have won with that missed (fourth-quarter) field goal late, but we’ve been there as well, so we feel their pain.”

Montreal kicker David Cote booted a 43-yard field goal in overtime to make it 20-17, but Winnipeg counterpart Marc Liegghio couldn’t match it.

Liegghio’s 37-yard field-goal attempt hit the right upright and bounced outward in front of 31,053 stunned fans at IG Field. He also went wide on a 32-yard attempt on the last play of the fourth quarter.

The Bombers’ first loss of the season gives them a 9-1 record and stopped them from tying a team record from 1960 for starting a season with 10 straight victories.

The Alouettes bumped their record to 3-6.

After the game, Liegghio gave differing analyses of both misses.

“The one before overtime, I just didn’t give myself a chance and it didn’t look good coming off my foot,” he said. “Then the one at the end there, in overtime, I thought I hit it well. It felt good off my foot but, obviously, the outcome wasn’t what I wanted it to be and just move on.”

Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea viewed Liegghio’s game as part of the sophomore kicker’s progression.

“Better now than later, right? He’ll bounce back and be good,” said O’Shea, whose team heads into its bye week.

It was a rematch between the clubs, who played in Montreal last week. That game was tied 14-14 heading into the fourth quarter, but Winnipeg notched three straight touchdowns and won 35-20.

Following Thursday's finish, Montreal general manager and interim head coach Danny Maciocia said he’s seen a few twists and turns in his 20-plus years in the league.

“That definitely ranks up there with one of the most wildest, craziest finishes that you’re going to come across,” he said.

“But what was good was that we happened to be on the right end of it. These are games that, I don’t know, maybe a few weeks ago we wouldn’t have won.”

Both teams were scoreless in the first quarter, then tied 7-7 at halftime and 10-10 after the third quarter.

Bombers running back Brady Oliveira broke the tie with a 19-yard touchdown run at 12:50 of the fourth quarter, capping off a 10-play, 100-yard scoring drive.

Winnipeg looked like it was marching down for another score, but Montreal defensive back Wesley Sutton hit Bombers quarterback Zach Collaros, forcing a fumble and turnover with just under eight minutes left.

The Alouettes used the change of possession to get to Winnipeg’s one-yard line. The Bombers’ defence rattled off the stops and it looked like a turnover on downs, but Winnipeg was handed an offside penalty and the visitors went back to first down.

Montreal backup quarterback Dominique Davis then pushed in for the one-yard touchdown with 2:21 remaining. Cote was good on his convert for the 17-17 tie.

Oliveira had another run and appeared to fumble the ball, but he was ruled down by contact.

As the clock wound down, Liegghio lined up for a 32-yard field-goal attempt but missed wide left. Alouettes receiver Tyson Philpot ran the ball out of the end zone, sending the game into overtime.

After Cote made his go-ahead field goal, Sutton broke up a pass attempt to Bombers receiver Dalton Schoen, causing Mike O’Shea to throw the challenge flag. It was unsuccessful and Liegghio stepped up and made his ill-fated attempt.

Davis also scored a TD on a three-yard push in the second quarter. Cote made two converts, hitting the upright on a 20-yard field-goal attempt and connecting on a 43-yarder.

Schoen had a 27-yard TD catch for Winnipeg. Liegghio was good on a 44-yard field-goal attempt and made two converts.  

Collaros, who was sacked five times, was 21-of-27 passing for 251 yards and one TD.

Harris was 18-of-27 for 213 yards and one TD for Montreal.

[-DLC-]

I felt bad for Biggie after that loss...he made 2 HUGE stops on the goal line...only to see it slip away due to a penalty and a guy lining up inches over the line. 

 

Anyhow....looking forward to tomorrow's game....